


Language

by Heckyheck_Icravedeath



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: :((((, But also fluffy cause there is major Irondad content, But nooooooo, Call him and then fuck him, Fucking rip, I don't even know why, I don't give him that though, I'm happy about that, I'm sorta proud of this, It's Not Good, LMAO, Lmao okay but really, Magic, Mr Stark pls, Okay okay yeah I'm sorry for being this way, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter is Like, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Still sad though, That's surprising, This was like a decent boi, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony deserves better, Tony should just call, We all are sad, Wow, Yayyy well enjoy:), but he doesn't, i'm not okay, that won't happen, this is like angsty, tony cries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 10:46:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18071966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heckyheck_Icravedeath/pseuds/Heckyheck_Icravedeath
Summary: The first time Peter noticed it was when he had brought Ned to the lab for the second time.Ned was trying to tickle Peter and Peter wasn’t having it. Tony was laughing at them while trying to break up the little skirmish. Peter yelled out, “Ned, you little shit! Stop!”In which Ned responded with, “Language, Peter!”





	Language

**Author's Note:**

> This is like a real good fic. I literally wrote this in a day and I'm proud of me for that. Usually I procrastinate lmao I guess I just really liked this idea. Well, I hope you like it!

The first time Peter noticed it was when he had brought Ned to the lab for the second time. 

Ned was trying to tickle Peter and Peter wasn’t having it. Tony was laughing at them while trying to break up the little skirmish. Peter yelled out, “Ned, you little shit! Stop!”

In which Ned responded with, “Language, Peter!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter noticed Tony tense up and he noticed a pained look cross the billionaire’s face. 

Ned noticed it too because he stopped tickling and he was looking at Tony with a somewhat concerned look. Peter was a bit concerned as well. “Uh, Mr. Stark? Are you alright?” 

Tony snapped out of whatever trance he had been in. “What?” 

“I asked if you were alright.” 

“Oh, yeah. I'm fine.” He gave a small laugh and scratched the back of his neck. Peter knew that was a lie, but he didn't say anything. Instead he went back to his area with Ned and started to tinker with his web shooters. 

The second Peter noticed was when he was walking down the street with Tony. They had gotten coffee and were heading back to the tower. 

A couple was walking a few feet in front of them laughing about something. One of them said, “Goddamnit.” Then the other said, “Watch your language. There are children outside.” 

Peter felt Tony tense beside him. He turned to look at his mentor and saw that same pained look that he had seen in the lab just a week ago. This time though, Tony’s breathing seemed out if whack. Not an alarming change, but it still worried Peter. He nudged Tony, gently. 

Tony blinked and the look was gone. He met eyes with Peter and seemed slightly embarrassed. “I'm sorry. Got lost in thought.” Another lie. It seemed like he didn't want Peter to know what was wrong, but Peter was determined to find out. 

He went along with it for now though. “Don’t worry about it. It happens to all of us.” 

Tony gave him a thankful smile and they went on their way. 

The third time it happened, Peter knew it was a problem. He also knew it had to do with the word language. That confused him. What was so bad about the word language? 

They were in the lab again, working on suits and other gadgets. 

Pepper came down with food for them. Tony ignored her because he was so engrossed in his work. She let out an annoyed sigh and went up to him to take the screwdriver from his hand. He looked up and frowned. “What the hell, Pep?” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “Language, Peter is here. Also, I have food for you. You need to eat.” 

Tony had that look again and he was as tense as can be. This time, however, tears were in his eyes, threatening to spill. 

Pepper walked over to him slowly and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Tony…?” He blinked and a few tears escaped his eyes. 

“I gotta go.” He mumbled before standing and rushing out of the lab. Peter watched him go with a sad expression. He didn't like seeing Tony like this, but there wasn't much he could do. The billionaire wouldn't tell him what was wrong.

He decided to ask Pepper if she knew. “Do you know what's going on with him?” 

“I'm sorry, Pete. I don't know. I'm worried about him though.” She shook her head, softly. “Maybe ask Rhodes. He might know.” Peter hadn't thought of that. 

“That's a good idea. I'll do that now. Thanks, Pepper.” 

She gave him a smile. “Sure thing.” With that being said, Peter set out to find Rhodes. 

It didn't take long. Rhodes was in the kitchen, making a sandwich. He looked up when he heard Peter enter. “Hey, what's up?” 

“Can I ask you something about Tony?” Rhodes raised an eyebrow. 

“I mean, sure. What about him?” 

Peter sat down on one of the barstools. Then he began to talk. “Okay, so, I've been noticing that everytime someone says ‘language’, Mr. Stark gets all weird. Like he’ll tense up and he’ll get a look on his face that seems to be pained...He started to cry today when Pepper said it. Do you know why?” 

Rhodes let out a sigh. “I do know, but it's not exactly my place to say anything.” 

Peter gave him a pleading look. “Please tell me. I'm worried about him.” 

“Kid, it's not my place. Just ask him. I'm sure he'll tell you.” 

“But, I don't think he wants me to know. Everytime it happens, he comes up with a lie.” Peter ran a hand through his hair. 

“It's not that he _doesn't_ want you to know. I think he's just scared to talk about it.” Rhodes sat down next to Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder. “He would tell you anything. We all know that, but you also know how he gets when he has to talk about his past. Especially certain parts of it. He gets upset and it's hard for him to do it.” 

Peter gave a small nod in response. “Yeah…” He stared at the table for a moment. “I'll ask another day. I don't want to throw it in his face again today.” 

“Alright. When you do, give him time. He might not talk about it right away.” 

“Okay. Thanks for the help.” Peter let out a breath and gave Rhodes a smile. 

“Anytime, kid.” He returned the smile and stood back up to continue making his sandwich. 

Peter got up as well and left the room. He decided to head home for the day. Tony needed space. Although it bothered him knowing his mentor was somewhere in the tower, crying. He tried not to think about it, but it was nagging at him. 

The whole way home and for the rest of the night, all Peter could do was think of things that might be associated with that word. It had to be something bad. _Nothing_ made Tony cry. 

He went to school the next day with it still in his mind. 

_Language_.

He gave a frustrated sigh during chemistry class. Ned gave him a look. “You alright, Pete?” 

Peter waved his hand dismissively. “No. I don't know how to ask Mr. Stark about the language thing.” 

“The language thing?” Ned asked. 

“You know when we were at the lab and you told me to watch my language? Then he kind of tensed up and was in his own little world?” 

“Oh, yeah. I forget about that.” 

“Well, it keeps happening and I asked Rhodes about it. He told me I should ask Mr. Stark about it because it's not his place to say anything. Now I'm trying to think of how to ask.” Peter tapped his pencil against his desk as he thought.

“Just ask him. Like straight to the point.” 

“I guess.” Peter buried his face in his hands. Ned patted his back before turning back to the teacher. 

Class ended not long after that. Peter practically ran out of the room to his locker. He grabbed his things and threw them in his bag, then rushed out the school doors to wait for Happy. 

Happy was there already, thankfully, waiting a few feet from the door in the usual black Audi. Peter got into the car and only gave a small hello. He was quiet, trying to get his thoughts in order. He could tell Happy was a tad bit concerned, but the older man said nothing. Peter was sort of glad about it. He didn't feel like explaining everything. 

The trip was short and pretty soon Peter was getting more anxious. He was just going to ask, but he didn't want to make Tony uncomfortable. He wished Rhodes had told him. It would've made everything so much easier. 

He gave Happy a thank you before slipping out of the car and making is way into the glass building. He went straight to the elevator and tried to swallow the anxiety. 

Tony was in the lab with his back to Peter, but the elevator gave a ding when the door opened so the billionaire knew he was there. “Hey, Underoos.” 

“Hey, Mr. Stark.” He hated the fact that his voice gave away his anxiety. 

Tony turned to face him. “You good?” 

“Uh, can I ask you something?” 

“Go for it.” He spinned the screwdriver in his hand. 

Peter took a deep breath. “What's with you and the word language?” 

There was a silence. Tony had that same look he always had on his face when someone said that word. He was tense as well. 

Then he let out a small laugh. It was something Peter had never heard from him before. It was cold and full of anger, a dollop of guilt, and just plain pain. “You really wanna know?” 

“Yes. I'm worried about you.” 

“You don't really need to worry. I'm fine.” 

Peter gave him a pointed look. “Bullshit. You literally starting crying yesterday.” 

Tony sighed. “Okay, okay. So maybe I'm not fine.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I guess it's story time then.” He sank down onto the couch and patted the spot next to him. Peter joined him and gave him an encouraging smile. 

Tony gave him a grateful look, but it turned into a sad one. “Alright. So, it was an inside joke I had with the Avengers. We were on a mission and I couldn't get into the building because there was a force field around it. I said shit and Steve said language in response.” He paused to take a breath. It was a watery one. “After that, we all made fun of him for it. Everytime someone said something that was a swear or he did, we all would say language. It was our thing and now when anyone says it, I guess I just lose it because it reminds me of him.” He swallowed. “I miss him, Pete. Way more than I should. Especially after what happened between us.” 

Peter gave him a sympathetic look. “Mr. Stark. You’re allowed to miss him. I mean come on, we all know you cared about him. Like _a lot_. He did too. I could tell by the way he looked at you. I'm sure he feels the same about all of this. Maybe just...call him?” 

The look that crossed Tony’s face was one of horror. Someone would have thought that Peter told Tony he should kill a puppy. “Are you insane?!” 

“No! I just-” 

“Peter Benjamin Parker, I will _not_ call him. It's been two years and I will not go crawling back to him _now_.” 

“Jeez, okay. I was just suggesting.” Peter raised his hands in surrender. 

“Well, don't suggest that anymore.” Tony growled. He stood from the couch and started to pace. 

“I'm sorry for snapping.” The billionaire spoke after some time. He was still pacing. 

“It's alright. You're just hurt.” Peter felt bad for Tony. He was really hurt and there wasn't much he could do to stop that hurt unless he called Steve, but from the looks of it, he would never.

“Still. I'm a grown ass man who can't control my emotions.” Tony finally stopped pacing. He chewed on his lower lip. 

“You're way too hard on yourself.” 

“So what if I am? I deserve it.” Tony’s eyes glistened with tears. 

“That's not true at all. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. You deserve everything in the whole world and I hate that you can't see that.” Peter _hated_ when Tony put himself down. “You can't see how great of a person you are and I hate that. You are the best guy I know and you’re literally my father at this point. You inspire me to be the best that I can be and you mean everything to me.

“You also inspire so many other people. You're the _Tony Stark_. You're a genius. You're the sweetest person, though I know you won't accept that one. You're not selfish, no matter how much you think that. You're the most selfless person I've met. You remind me of Ben.” Peter could see Ben in Tony easily. They both always did the right thing, even when no one was watching. They both always put others first. They both had the kindest hearts. 

Tony looked as though he was going to burst into tears at any given moment. “I love you, kid.” His voice cracked. 

“I love you too, Mr. Stark.” Peter stood up and pulled Tony into a hug. 

Tony clutched the teen close to him and started to shake. Peter realized a moment later that he was crying. His heart broke for his mentor. He had never seen him cry _this_ hard before. 

They didn't speak again after that. They just stayed in that position, hugging for a long, long time. Not that Peter minded. He would do anything for Tony, including making him feel better about the past. 

Peter was determined to make the billionaire feel better. He do everything in his power to do so. Tony deserved to feel better about everything. He had been through a lot of terrible things that Peter would _never_ want anyone to have to go through. 

He thought about calling Steve himself, but he didn't know if that was a good idea. Maybe it was just better to let things play out and see what happened. 

Peter shook his head slightly. He could think about all that another day. Right now he just needed to focus on getting Tony into a happier place. He tightened his grip on Tony and just let him cry. 

No one can be strong forever. They need to break down at some point and let themselves breathe. Tony seemed to have a hard time realizing that. Peter would get him to understand that at some point, but as of right now, letting his tears out was the first step to recovery.

**Author's Note:**

> It's like 12am and I'm tired as fuck. Bless my soul. I have school tomorrow too. I'm a hot mess and then I turn Peter and Tony into hot messes because of it. That's fun. I'm not okay. Please save me...okay well yeah um lmao I hope you liked it! I love y'all! Thanks for reading, pls leave a like or comment!!


End file.
